Chapter Ten
"Harper, why Harper," Luke asked, shocked by the suggestion of the Jedi teacher, "He has only begun his training. He is not ready for something so dangerous."
Kam seemed to falter for a moment as he considered his own reasons for offering his hyperactive by brilliant student. The moment passed him over and the confidence of the stoic Master Jedi returned to him.
"Because the Force demands it," Kam told him simply.
"I'm gonna need a little more to go on before I'm comfortable with this," Han interjected, "I don't care what the Force is telling you."
"Since Seamus arrived, "Kam explained, "I have felt the Force prodding me to train him, to push him, to mold him into a great Jedi. He is almost ready, he lacks confidence and focus but he is an excellent student, and will be a powerful Jedi."
"He is also a great engineer," Yu Wang added, "He has a natural ability far beyond regular genius. I remember Harper, from the old days he was the best engineer in the tri-galaxies.
"Lord Knell was very put out when he realized what he had lost when Harper escaped Imperial custody," Wang finished quietly as a wave of revulsion passed over him, "Very put out."
"Fine," Han said tossing his hands in the air, "Why do we always have to pick up hitchhikers when we go on these little missions to save the universe."
"Kam," Luke said, "If you would please show every one to some appropriate accommodations please, we'll be staying the night."
The Jedi Master nodded his assent and led Han, Wang and Corran from the room.
"Are you going to take Padawan Harper," Tionne asked?
"I don't know yet," Luke responded quietly, "Could you stay here with Ben for a while, I need to meditate on this for a while."
The sounds of rhythmic beating pulsated through the damp smoky air as loud screeches rang out in the in the near blackness of the deep catacombs. This world had once been called Thyferra, the home of the miracle healing fluid known as Bacta.
The Harbingers of the Abyss ruled here now, Xucphra City belonged to them, and the population was now providing ample recourses for the growing forces of the Abyss.
Death Knell hunted through the streets of Xucphra City looking for the greatest of these new Magog, born and bread in the last few days. The Spirit of the Abyss demanded he found those Magog who were of greater strength and higher intelligence. Those who were strong enough were taken to the Abyss to be made even greater, they would be changed modified to become to core of the Magog leadership, the commanders and generals of the Harbingers of the Abyss.
Not far down the ruined streets two of the Harbingers did battle. A small Vratix child appeared to be their prize. The Vratix were the original inhabitants of this world and were so highly prized among the Magog.
Stopping to watch, Death Knell realized these Magog were of two different broods, from the smell both had marked the Vratix as there own and neither were going to let the other one take their prize.
The Harbingers watched each other closely looking for an advantage as they pressed closer for the attack. When that attack came the battle was over shortly and only one Harbinger remained standing.
"Congratulations," Death Knell cried out, "you have defeated your opponent, the prize is yours."
"Great One," the Magog cried out with the proper amount of surprise and fear, but it was all for show.
"Take your prize," the Death Knell ordered, "Then leave it among your brood for safe keeping. "You will come with me, our Master has something special for you."
The lights in the main workshop of the Jedi Academy had been turned off, only the piercing glare of a handful of work lamps were active. Feeling the eager and currently very focused mind of Seamus Harper through the Force, Luke entered the shop.
"Harper, are you in here," Luke called out knowing the answer already.
"I'm in the back," Harper called out his mind now filled with a nervous energy as he covers up his work with a nearby cloth.
"Has Kam told you about the mission," Luke asked as he approached.
"Yes, he said that I might be going with you," Harper replied.
"Do you think you are ready for such a dangerous mission?"
"I've done dangerous before," Harper responded, but the words held more confidence then his voice, "I can handle it."
"I am sure you can," Luke told him.
"Will Rev Bem be coming," Harper asked.
"I not
asked him to come," Luke said, "Do you think it would be wise?"
"I don't know for sure,"
Harper admitted, "the last time he had to face the Magog in a serious fight he
had a lot of trouble getting past it."
"Perhaps it is time that Reverend Behemial faced those fears," Luke decided, "If he want to come he may. We will be leaving in the morning Seamus, you had better get some rest."
"Yes Master," Harper replied scooping up his secret project and heading of to bed.
Luke walked slowly back to his own quarters to spend the night near his young son.
The Thyferra system was alive with weapons fire as the forces of the Galactic Alliance engaged the massive Magog force defending the planet. The Andromeda Ascendant dodged heavy fire as dozens of Swarmships angled in to attack. Most of the Alliance Cruisers were not fairing as well.
"Is it always like this," Lando asked?
"It's never easy," Dylan explained.
Two more swarmships were vaporized under Andromeda's Anti-proton cannons but more quickly took their place.
"I'm beginning to think this was a bad idea," Lando announced.
"C'mon," Beka responded, "Were is your sense of adventure?"
"I left it behind on Dubrillion, just before the Vong conquered it," he told her.
Sparks flew across the Command Deck as several large impacts rocked Andromeda's hull.
"Four Magog ships have impacted the hull," Trance reported, "We are being boarded."
"Tyr, send more troops into those sections and activate the internal defenses," Dylan ordered, "We need to hold those Magog off long enough to complete the drop."
"I'll take care of it personally," Tyr responded with a snarl.
"Fine, go," Dylan replied, "Just keep them off our backs."
"Were in position Dylan," Rommie reported.
"That's your cue General," Dylan said turning to face the newly restored Alliance officer.
"You just make sure you keep those disgusting creatures off OUR backs," Lando replied or this will be the shortest offensive of all time, and trust me I'm an authority."
Calrissian left Command and shortly afterward the first transports began to depart from Andromeda's hangers. Over one thousand Alliance soldiers and nearly twenty-thousand of Calrissian's YV battle droids were aboard the Andromeda, the first wave of a massive invasion.
"All transports are clear Captain," Andromeda veiwscreen self reported, the Alliance fleet is moving into position.
"They are launching their own drop ships now."
"Put me through to the entire fleet," Dylan ordered and waited as Andromeda connected him through their new hyperwave transmitter, "In the High Guard we have an expression, 'Hold the line,' nothing gets through unless we allow it and we are not going to allow it. End transmission."
"That was beautiful Dylan," Beka cracked.
"Oh shut up," Dylan replied with a smirk, "I doubt you could have done much better."
"Alliance forces are launching their atmospheric fighters," Andromeda reported, "They report successful drop ship launches and are awaiting further instructions."
"Defensive positions only," Dylan responded, "Let's give the ground forces a chance to get settled.
"Are the 'lads' ready," Dylan asked concerning Andromeda's Planetary Warfare Bots.
"Both Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum are armed for ground incursions and ready to go," Andromeda reported.
"Launch PWB's please."
"PWB's away."
"The Magog boarding parties have been defeated," Tyr called out as he swaggered on to the Command Deck wearing his dark glasses and gripping tightly his favourite gun.
"Excellent Tyr," Dylan responded, "See to it that the Magog are cleared from my deck and Rommie, close the hull breaches."
From the forward Command Post Baron General Lando Calrissian directed his impressive array of military forces. Much of the capital region was fully over run by unknown thousands of Magog, and every sentient being the Galactic Alliance placed on the ground was being put in extreme danger.
Towering over his position the Andromeda's massive battle droids, the Planetary Warfare Bots, has secured his position two kilometers from Xucphra City.
"Deploy a full airstrike to sector XC-120," Lando ordered, "and pull our troops away from that block.
Mobility wasn't going to be Lando's problem on the ground as the Alliance was using mostly light combat vehicles and air speeders, the Magog after all used no heavy artillery.
"General," one of his higher ranker troopers reported, "the landing zone is secure."
"Good," Lando replied, "Order the advance, I want the outskirts of the city secured by nightfall."
The soldier acknowledged and carried out his orders.
It was going to be a long night Lando realized, and it had only been four days since Thyferra had fallen to the Magog.
The orbital situation looked much more promising as Dylan directed the fleet into their orbital positions. More then thirty capital ships, mostly from the former New Republic fleet but also some from the Imperial Remnant, were lumbering slowly under Dylan's orders.
"All ships have reported in Captain," Rommie reported, "They are in position and ready to block any re-enforcements."
"Excellent," Dylan responded, "Send my compliments to the entire fleet on a job well done."
Rommie acknowledged with a nod and sent out the communication.
"Dylan, may I have a word with you," Tyr asked, "Privately."
"Of course Tyr," Dylan said with a slightly puzzled expression, "Beka, you have Command."
With Tyr only a half step behind, Dylan left the Command Deck for the relative privacy of a side corridor not far away.
"What is it Tyr?"
Tyr starred intently for a moment at his long time Captain, adversary, confidant, rival and friend as he gathered his thoughts and perhaps even some nerve.
"Dylan," he finally began, "I know what you are trying to accomplish here. I understand your motives and the obligations you feel you have. But I must tell you that this will not work. We have seen the future. We are from the future. It cannot BE changed. "We should turn around now, head back to our own galaxies and try to find a way back to our own time."
"For the moment Tyr," Dylan responded, "this is our time and we have no way back to our future. We can make a difference here and now, everything else is just theory.
"If we can defeat the Magog here and now, the future of our galaxies will be altered, the Commonwealth might never have fallen, your family may have lived…"
"That too is only a theory Captain," Tyr reminded him, "And not a very logical one."
The streets of Xucphra City were alive with battle as thousands of soldiers moved into the city massacring Magog as they went. Few of the Magog carried any kind of weapons relying on their physical prowess and sharp claws and of course their paralytic poison.
But even the powerful blaster carbines of the Alliance forces were not enough to keep the hordes of Magog at bay, their numbers were so overwhelming.
Lando had order special units formed to retrieve anyone who was infested by the larva of the Magog and to bring them back to base camp for treatment. Dylan had provided a powerful drug called leukoprene that would slow the gestation period of the larva by several months.
"Sir, another transport is returning with more wounded," a lieutenant reported, "military and civilian."
"How many," Lando asked?"
"Several hundred sir," came the nearly whispered reply."
"Get those civilians the drug first, they are probably much further along then any of our troops."
"Yessir," came the reply.
"And get on the horn with Captain Hunt," Lando continued, "Tell him we're going to need more Leukoprene right now."